The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has renewed calls for polytechnics in Nigeria to award bachelor’s degrees, saying the move will eliminate the long-standing discrimination against Higher National Diploma (HND) holders in the country.
The Executive Secretary of NBTE, Idris Bugaje, stated that the perception of university degrees as superior to HNDs has stunted the career growth of polytechnic graduates for years.
A bill seeking to empower polytechnics to confer bachelor’s degrees passed the second reading at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, marking a crucial step towards ending the divide between university and polytechnic education.
In an interview with The Cable, Bugaje decried the systemic barriers that limit HND holders from reaching top positions in public service, despite having qualifications similar to their university counterparts.
“At the moment, an HND holder in public service cannot go beyond grade level 14, whereas a university graduate can rise to become a director. There is no real practical reason for this,” Bugaje said.
He described the bias against HNDs as a “Nigerian mentality”, arguing that the only way to end this disparity is for polytechnics to phase out HND programmes and introduce Bachelor of Technology degrees.
Bugaje explained that polytechnic degrees would differ from those of universities by placing equal emphasis on character, learning, and skills.
“In universities, degrees are awarded based on character and learning. In polytechnics, we shall award degrees based on character, learning, and practical skills,” he said.
He noted that Ghana and South Africa already allow polytechnics to award both HNDs and bachelor’s degrees, citing his experience at a South African polytechnic where students had the freedom to choose between the two.
“This is not a new idea. In South Africa, the polytechnic where I did my sabbatical 21 years ago offered both HND and Bachelor of Technology degrees concurrently. It is the choice of the candidate,” he added.
Beyond the push for polytechnic degrees, Bugaje revealed that NBTE is advocating for the establishment of a National Commission for Technical Education to replace the current board.
According to him, an initial proposal for a National Polytechnic Commission was dismissed by the Minister of Education as “dead on arrival.” However, after modifications, the proposal was accepted in its revised form.
Bugaje said such a commission would place technical education on the same level as universities and attract better funding for polytechnics, which he lamented are currently underfunded compared to universities.
“We had a public hearing at the National Assembly for a National Polytechnic Commission, but when the new Minister of Education came in, he dismissed it. However, I modified the proposal to a National Commission for Technical Education, and he agreed,” Bugaje stated.
“Right now, the National Universities Commission (NUC) gets a much bigger budget. The polytechnics are struggling with underfunding,” he added.
Bugaje stressed that for Nigeria to remain competitive in an evolving global economy, it must prioritise skill acquisition and reform its technical education system to meet industry demands.
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